Wind farm taking shape in McPherson County

Visitors to site discouraged because of dangers

Visitors to site discouraged because of dangers

August 07, 2007|By Russ Keen, American News Writer

LONG LAKE - A new brand of pioneers is revolutionizing a remote, hilly area where coyotes can be seen dashing out of pastures to run across extremely narrow gravel roads bordered with tall weeds. In the late 1800s, settlers built windmills to pump water. The 2007 pioneers are erecting wind energy towers that dwarf the 19th-century windmills that remain in the area. Swarms of people, many driving massive trucks as wide as the roads, are starting to build 60 towers in the isolated area north of Long Lake. Another 60 are going up just across the state border in Dickey County, N.D. It's the Tatanka wind farm, which stretches for miles north-south and east-west. A collection of temporary buildings and mobile units at construction headquarters north of town give the impression that a new village has sprouted in McPherson County. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of the year, said Marcus V. da Cunha of Chicago, an official with Acciona Wind Energy USA, parent company of Tatanka. Numerous concrete foundations for the towers are in place, and some tower sections and windmill blades lie on the ground awaiting installation. Power potential: Tatanka plans to feed the power it generates into the Montana-Dakota Utilities system. The project is slated to produce fewer than 90 megawatts in South Dakota. Construction is not under the jurisdiction of the state Public Utilities Commission because the commission oversees only those projects that will yield 100 megawatts or more. Another 90 megawatts or less is expected to be produced from Tatanka's North Dakota towers. One megawatt supplies more than 400 homes with the power they need for one hour. Dangerous place: The company plans to host an open house at the Tatanka site once construction dangers are over, da Cunha said Monday. Until then, people are strongly discouraged from driving through the area, even on the public roads. “It's no playground,” da Cunha said. “A person can get hurt. It's not the right time to go there. Drivers of these rigs have huge blind spots.” In addition to the trucks, numerous cranes in the area pose dangers as well. From 200 to 300 workers are on the site not easily reached by ambulance, he said. Cell phone coverage is poor to nonexistent in the area, which makes it difficult to access emergency services, da Cunha said. “Good luck trying to get 911.” And the roads are not always marked with signs, making it harder for ambulances, if needed, to find the injured. Also, ambulances would have to come from long distances, da Cunha said. “It could be very, very nasty,” he said. “We could have a disaster in no time, so we try to keep a low profile. I am just trying to be responsible.”